Diagnosed with lung cancer, he is undergoing treatment in the United States, with the tumour reportedly showing signs of malignancy.

There were moments during the World Cup when he woke up at night, gasping for breath, coughing and feeling drained out.

He continued playing, ignoring the ailment at great peril to his life. His all-round efforts played the most significant role in India lifting the Cup. Much after the euphoria died down, it dawned on Yuvraj and his family that not all was well.

“I would think if it was cancerous, my God, I wouldn't play cricket any more. For me, happiness was always playing cricket. But I know now, there is nothing like good health,” Yuvraj, fearing the worst, had told this newspaper recently, even as he was taking a heavy dose of medicine to ‘kill' the tumour.

His fears came true; and when things worsened, the family got in touch with the Board. “I'm looking [forward] to playing [the tri-series] in Australia,” Yuvraj had said last month, before leaving for Bangalore to assess his fitness. But it became clear that he needed advanced treatment, and the Board lost little time in contacting one of the best oncologists in the world.

The oncologist is reported to be the one who successfully treated ace cyclist Lance Armstrong, who had been diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Posted on Monday, February 06, 2012 @ 04:16:20 JST by admin